Dralyuk, now a professor of English and creative writing at the University of Tulsa, earned degrees in comparative literature, Russian language and literature, and Slavic language and literature from UCLA.
Lima, who earned a master’s degree in 2008, still sometimes laughs when she says the title of her new book aloud.
As the English Department’s author in residence, the UCLA alumna is teaching an undergraduate poetry workshop.
His colleague Seiji Lippit remembered Loukota for his “pioneering work, drawing connections … that had not been seen before.”
Tucked away in the San Gabriel Valley, South El Monte is not a place often featured in literary fiction. But it’s where Carribean Fragoza’s work takes root. The author of the evocative 2021 short story collection “Eat the Mouth That Feeds You,” Fragoza, a 2003 UCLA graduate who majored in comparative literature and Chicana and Chicano studies, has dedicated herself to unearthing the subtleties and concealed narratives of her hometown, channeling them into her distinct brand of surrealistic storytelling. It’s earned her vast critical acclaim — and, last spring, the prestigious Whiting Award, which recognizes emerging talents with a $50,000…